Harry Potter and the Veela who Loved Him
by Mr. Anthony
Summary: As Harry goes through his fourth year at Hogwarts, he finds adventure, danger, and love. H/F Only.
1. Meeting

**EDIT: Placed the dialogue between Adrienne and Fleur into italics to show that they are speaking French to each other, not English. I won't even try to type it out in French, because I don't wan't to butcher the language, and Google Translate tends to be very unreliable.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of it's affiliates. Nor will I own Harry Potter in any chapters published preceding or succeding this one. I am not J.K Rowling, and I never will be. If I was, I'd be a little freaked out that I was now a woman.**

There was a certain quaintness about Hogwarts. While Fleur still undoubtedly preferred her home school of Beauxbatons, she couldn't deny that the English academy had its charm. On the whole, the school itself was very beautiful. The grounds outside had a rather serene atmosphere that Fleur liked, and the insides of the castle tended to be cheery and warm. And there was another reason why Hogwarts was growing on Fleur. A certain green-eyed, dark haired young man sitting at the Gryffindor table...

_"You're staring again."_

Fleur jerked in surprise, as she looked beside her to her best friend, Adrienne. The brunette girl was smirking at her as she piled her plate high with food.

Fleur could feel her cheeks reddening. _"No I'm not! I'm just...just eying their...their..."_ The girl frantically looked around. She then pointed in the general direction of the Gryffindor table, and said_ "Their bouillabaisse! Yes, we're almost out, so I was thinking about going to get theirs, if they were done with it."_

Adrienne just shook her head._ "We've really got to work on your lying, Fleur. It's actually pretty pathetic."_ Fleur protested weakly, but Adrienne just waved her off as she turned a critical eye to the boy that the Veela had taken such an interest in.

_"What's so special about him? I guess he's kind of cute, in a scrawny, starved puppy kind of way, but there's nothing to warrant this kind of reaction from you, Fleur. Why are you all riled up?"_ Adrienne asked pointedly.

_"I...I don't know..."_ She said softly._ "There's just something about him..."_

Fleur thought back to earlier. When the Beauxbatons delegation had finally reached Hogwarts, the first thing Fleur had noticed was the castle itself. It was a giant piece of architecture, and cast an imposing shadow. Then, Fleur's eyes had been drawn to the large crowd that had gathered in the courtyard. Apparently, the Hogwarts students had deemed it necessary to receive their guests with a warm, enthusiastic welcome. The very next thing Fleur had noticed were sharp, emerald green eyes, that made her stop and stare. When she had first spotted them, she had gasped, bringing her hands to her heart. That gaze had caught her breath, and she had had a difficult time breathing. Fleur and the owner of those green orbs had maintained eye contact for seconds longer, before the boy turned away, blushing like mad. Upon further inspection, it turned out that the set of the alluring eyes belonged to none other than Harry Potter, but Fleur didn't care about that. Fame meant nothing to her. All she really wanted was to just stare into the boy's eyes, and memorize every single detail about them...

_"Fleur! Hey, Fleur!"_ Adrienne snapped her fingers, trying to get the blonde girl to focus. _"Are you even listening to me?"_

Fleur slowly regained her senses, and just grinned sheepishly at Adrienne. The girl just stared at Fleur, her eyes wide.

_"Damn, you have it bad..."_ Adrienne shook her head._ "I've never seen you act like this, in all the time I've known you. What did this boy do to get you so infatuated?"_

Fleur just shrugged and gave a noncommittal grunt. Her gaze flickered towards the Gryffindor table every five seconds or so, as if she was scared that if she stopped looking, the boy would just disappear.

Adrienne just rolled her eyes and gave Fleur's shoulder a gentle push. _"Well, go on then. Go talk to him! Introduce yourself!"_

Fleur looked at Adrienne in horror, leaning away from her. _"I can't do that!"_

Adrienne frowned._ "Why not?"_ The girl shifted her body to look at the Gryffindor table again.

_"It's...I can't...it's just...uhhhhhh..."_ Fleur groaned as she placed her forehead on the table.

Adrienne just smiled, taking a sip of her drink. _"Well, if you don't, I will. He is rather cute...I wonder how he is in bed..."_ The girl wagged her eyebrows suggestively.

Fleur's head popped up, and just sputtered at her, terror clearly written across her face. Adrienne slowly rised, and turned until she was facing the Gryffindors, all the while maintaining eye contact with the Veela. As Adrienne took a small step towards the other table, Fleur's hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of the brunette's robe and pulled her back down into her seat, hard. She then stood up quickly, and hurried over to the Gryffindor table, not bothering to look behind her at Adrienne, who was laughing hysterically, tears running down her eyes.

* * *

Harry laughed along with his fellow housemates, but his heart just wasn't in it. As hard as he tried, his thoughts could not help but drift towards the blonde girl sitting at the Ravenclaw table.

It was strange, the way that girl made him feel. Before today, he had never placed much stock on girls. Sure, he could acknowledge when someone one was pretty (a certain Cho Chang comes to mind), but he'd never had more than a passing interest in them. But now, with that girl, and her deep, warm blue eyes, and her soft, silky, blonde hair that he was just dying to run his hands through...

When they had first made eye contact on the grounds, Harry's heart had constricted. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but just stare. It was only moments later before he remembered where he was and looked away, his cheeks burning.

Harry shook his head, and tried to focus on the feast at hand. As he started digging into his food, the sound around him faded away, until the only noise being made was the clinking of his fork against his plate. He looked up, trying to determine what had caused the silence.

And there she was, in all her glory. With a quick glance around him, he noticed all the boys were just as enraptured as he was, and did very little to conceal their desire. Ron, especially, as he had his mouth wide open, still full with food, with eyes glazed.

Harry returned his gaze to the beautiful girl, and she returned it steadily. When nobody said anything, he stumbled out a "Hello".

The girl smiled, and Harry was momentarily dazzled._ "Bonjour."_ She said, all the while keeping her eyes on him. Harry, for some reason, began to get lightheaded, but refused to break eye contact. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all. After a few moments of staring at each other, the girl finally averted her eyes, her cheeks slightly red.

Harry finally remembered where he was, and he too began too blush. What was wrong with him? Now she probably thinks I'm just some random idiot.

The girl, now looking anywhere but him, asked the air around him, "Excuse me, but are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?"

Beside Harry, Ron had started choking. There was no answer for a while, until Harry brought it upon himself to do it.

"Here you go." He said, as he pushed said plate towards her. He hoped she couldn't hear the way his voice almost trembled.

"You 'ave finished with it?"

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak, lest he blurt out something stupid. The girl smiled, reaching for the plate. Again, Harry was awestruck, but managed to maintain some sense of normalcy. That could not be said for the boys around him, as they were in various levels of distress. One had fallen out of his chair, knocked out cold from the girl's smile.

As Harry lifted up the plate to hand to her, their fingers touched, and Harry almost dropped the food. Now blushing madly, he gave it to her and released the plate. The girl gave another smile, and Harry's insides warmed up. The corners of his mouth edged up in turn of their own accord.

_"Merci._" And with one final glance at Harry, the girl glided away, food in hand. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor boys watched her retreating figure. Hermione, who had watched the entire scene with a disapproving look, just sighed and returned to her food.

Beside Harry, Ron, regaining his senses, said, somewhat hoarsely, "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts."

Harry fervently agreed.

* * *

Fleur skipped back to her table, arms full with bouillabaisse. She set it down, and returned to her seat next to Adrienne, who was smirking.

Fleur was finding it difficult to stop smiling. Adrienne just grinned, and asked,_ "So how did it go? Did he drool all over you?"_

_"He doesn't drool!"_ Fleur exclaimed, and then blushed. The rest of the Beauxbatons students were now looking at her in interest. Blushing, she whispered heatedly to Adrienne,_ "For your information, he is a kind, sweet person, and he definitely did not drool at me."_ Fleur glanced back over the Gryffindor table. Harry had resumed eating, albeit with a very confused look on his face, but the red haired boy sitting next to him was still staring at her. Fleur shuddered. She hated men like that, who had no self control.

_"You talked to him for about five minutes, and you can tell from that conversation that he is a 'kind, sweet person'?"_

_"Well, I mean...he was very nice while he was passing me the bouillabaisse!"_

Adrienne just laughed hysterically. Again.


	2. Good Day

**EDIT: Changed the dialogue between Harry and Fleur in an attempt to make Fleur's accent more prominent.**

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of it's affiliates. Nor will I own Harry Potter in any chapters published preceding or succeding this one. I am not J.K Rowling, and I never will be. If I was, I'd force As Tall as Lions to reunite just to play one show in my bedroom.**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood to the side, watching as Fred and George strutted up to the Goblet of Fire. The twins had boasted that they had found a way to bypass the age line that Dumbledore had placed, and the trio, along with most of Gryffindor house had accompanied them to see.

As Fred, then George entered their names into the Goblet, there was a momentarily lapse of breathing in the room. Moments later, the twins smiled and raised their arms in victory. The spectators began to cheer.

All of a sudden, the red haired boys were blown back against the wall, and landed in a heap on top of each other. As the crowd saw what happened, they began to laugh, for the twins were now sporting some Dumbledore-esque beards. The boys just grinned good naturally and took a bow.

Then, the headmaster himself walked into the room, and the students quieted. However, the pressure that had been steadily increasing with his entrance dissipated as they saw the old man chuckling, his eyes twinkling.

"I trust that this will dissuade many of you to not attempt to enter your names into the tournament?" Dumbledore said.

There was much hasty nodding. Dumbledore gestured for the twins to follow him. "Come, boys. To Madame Pomfrey." With that, the crowd dispersed, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione still eyeing the goblet.

Ron sighed, with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Imagine, Harry. All that money and eternal glory." The boy turned his head to Harry expectantly.

Harry just shrugged. "I've got enough trouble for a lifetime. I don't need any more, and besides, I don't really need the money."

Ron ignored him, and looked back at the goblet. "You know what I'd buy with all that money? I'd buy the Chudley Cannons. Build them from the ground up. Make them unstoppable. They'd be the best team in the English League! We'd win the cup every year! You and me Harry, we would be the general managers! Just imagine, us in our office, with dozens of trophys, and all of those women throwing themselves at us..." Now Ron was almost shaking with excitement, jumping from one foot to another.

Harry too was swept in the idea of owning a Quidditch team, and was almost to the same level of fervor that Ron was, but Hermione quickly put a stop to that kind of thinking, shaking her head and pulling the boys away, muttering something about how she was the only sane person in Hogwarts.

As the trio headed to the Gryfindor Common room, Harry realized that his school bag was not on his body, so telling his friends that he'd be right back, he quickly walked towards the room the goblet resided in. As he entered, he saw that his bag was in the same place as he left it, and picked it up. The bag wasn't properly closed, however, and much of his school books came tumbling out, and Harry, cursing, began gathering them up. As he did so, his mind started drifting, and he couldn't help but recall a certain blonde haired, blue eyed girl. Harry sighed. He was smitten with the girl and he didn't even know her. He ruefully smiled, and again began focusing on the task at hand. If he didn't hurry soon, his friends might began worrying about where he was. Harry grinned inwardly. He did have a knack for getting into dangerous situations.

When small, feminine hands started assisting him, he looked up, startled. And there she was.

The girl from Beauxbatons. And she was a beautiful as ever. She had on the customary robes that all the Beauxbatons students wore. Her hair was tied back in a simple pony tail, and she wore no makeup, but Harry couldn't help but think he preferred her this way. Natural. And still more beautiful than any girl he had ever seen before. Harry, unable to tear his eyes away, just watched rather numbly as she gently placed his books back in his bag. The two then just stared at each other for a moment, until a loud chortling nearby struck them out of their reverie.

Harry straightened quickly, his face turning a bright shade of red as he looked at the person who laughed. It turned out to be another girl, with brown hair, also apparently from Beauxbatons, as shown by her robes. Harry felt somewhat stupid, as he hadn't even noticed she was there, as he had been so focused on the girl in front of him.

"Well, well, well. Fleur, should I leave?" The brunette said, with a roguish grin.

The blonde girl couldn't help but blush as well, but she did a much better job than Harry at playing it off.

"Non, I was just 'elping 'im gather 'is things." And with that, she stood up, as did Harry, who was still rather out of it.

"Suuurrre." The brunette replied, rolling her eyes. "Well, I am 'eaded back to the carriage. I will meet you there?"

The other girl just nodded, so the brunnete walked away. The blonde looked back at Harry. Her eyes furrowed in concern. "'Arry, are you all right? You do not look so well."

This caused Harry to think. Did he feel okay? He was rather light headed, and his stomach felt as if it was doing backflips, but it was not a bad feeling. If anything, it gave him a sense of exhilaration. So, he shrugged, and trying to keep the conversation going, he said, "So you know who I am?"

Inwardly, Harry groaned. He sounded like a pompous ass. However the girl beside him just chuckled softly.

"Oui. Who does not know the famous 'Arry Potter? Your exploits are quite well known in France as well."

At this, Harry blushed even more, but he persevered. "I'm sorry, but I'm at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

"Ah, 'ow rude of me. My name is Fleur Delacour."

Harry racked his brain, trying to think of something to say to continue talking with this girl. He was getting a pleasant rush, just chatting with her, and he didn't want it to end.

"So, did you enter the tournament?" Again, Harry mentally smacked himself. Why else would she be here if she was not attempting to compete?

However, Fleur did not seem to think the question was stupid. "Oui. My friend and I were both entering while you were gathering your things. You did not even notice as we placed our names in the cup."

Harry just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I was just kind of thinking."

"About what?" She prompted.

"Oh, er, nothing of importance. So! Your friend seems...um...rather nice." Harry couldn't very well tell Fleur that he had been thinking of _her_.

"Ah. Adrienne is, how do you say...a free spirit. She is always finding the 'umor in such situations, and she usually has a smile on her face. She is a dear friend." Here, Fleur had smiled herself, as if remembering fond memories. "Still, she does tend to irritate people. At Beauxbatons, the professors sometimes cast silencing charms on her, because she could not seem to stop talking during a class."

Harry chuckled along with Fleur. "You seem very close to her."

Fleur nodded. "I have known her since I was a young child. My father and her father both work in the French Ministry, and she would come over often. She is my best friend."

Here, there was a pause. Then Fleur asked, "And you, 'arry? I have noticed that you tend to be around two people. Are you three very close?"

At the mention of them, Harry grinned. "Yeah, Ron and Hermione are great. They're like my brother and sister." Harry did not notice that Fleur let out a tiny sigh of relief when he described Hermione as a sibling. Continuing, Harry said, "We've been friends forever. They're the best mates I could ever hope for."

Hearing the obvious affection that Harry had for his friends, Fleur smiled. He just seemed so genuine that she was having a hard time not hugging him right there.

"So, what's Beauxbatons like?"

* * *

Harry stumbled into the Gryffindor Common Room, exhausted. Almost immediately, he was assaulted by both Ron and Hermione.

"Harry! Where have you been?"

"Yeah mate, you've been gone for hours!"

Harry trudged over to the fireplace, his friends right behind him. Dumping himself onto an armchair, he turned to the two and just grinned lazily. Both Ron and Hermione looked at him warily.

Ron leaned over to Hermione and whispered, "What's wrong with him?"

Hermione whispered back, her eyes still on Harry, "I don't know. But it must have been powerful magic. Look at him! He's grinning like mad."

Ron strode over to Harry and shook him. "Who did this to you, Harry? Was it Malfoy? It was Malfoy, wasn't it. When I get my hands on that git..."

At this, Harry just laughed, which, if anything, alarmed Ron and Hermione even more.

"Guys, it's fine." Harry said, still with a relaxed grin on his face.

"How is it fine, Harry?" Ron exclaimed, now pacing back and forth. "Malfoy cursed you! And now you're acting like some love struck fool!"

"Well, I did meet a girl..."

Ron stopped pacing, and Hermione's mouth opened in shock, and they both said in unison, "You what?"

"Yeah...I met her while I was getting my bag...she was there, entering the tournament, and she helped me gather my things, and we just talked..."

Hermione quickly checked the time, and said, "For three hours, Harry?"

"Has it been that long? I hadn't noticed." Harry replied. And Harry truthfully hadn't. Time had flown between the two of them, as he and Fleur had traded stories about their lives. Harry telling her about his various adventures at Hogwarts, and Fleur telling him about her experiences going through Beauxbatons and living in France.

Ron, who had been following a different train of thought, said, "If she's entering the tournament, she has to be at least seventeen..." At this Harry just nodded. "And she goes to Hogwarts? No? Durmstrang?" When Harry shook his head again, Ron chortled and thumped him on the back. "I didn't know you had it in you, Harry! A French girl... wait, no, make that a French woman!"

Hermione swatted Ron on the arm and turned to Harry. "I think it's great that you're meeting new people. And think of the benefits of being close to someone from Beauxbatons would be! You could learn so much! I hear that the students their take their OWL's sixth year instead of fifth. I wonder if..."

Harry just looked at Hermione with fondness, even while he zoned her out. Hermione was being Hermione and Ron was being Ron, and he wouldn't change that for world. As the trio finally drifted off to bed, Harry couldn't help but think, that today had been a very good day.

* * *

Adrienne was still awake as Fleur bounces into their room. The two bunked together in the carriage, which was enchanted to be much larger on the inside than it appeared.

_"You are still awake? You did not have to wait up for me, Adrienne."_ Fleur gently chided her best friend.

_"How could I not? You've been gone for such a long time, and I wanted to know what happened. So, give me all the details. Was he good?"_

Fleur just looked at Adrienne, confused. _"Good at what?"_ She asked.

_"You know..."_ Adrienne then made some crude hand symbols, and Fleur shrieked and threw a pillow at her.

_"No, Adrienne, we did not to anything like that!"_

Adrienne laughed, and patted the spot next to her on the bed. Fleur huffed, but grudgingly sat down next to her. She leaned back against the wall and sighed.

_"I don't know what's happening to me, Adrienne. This boy...this, this man, he is making me do things that no one else has done."_

_"Like what?"_

There was a pause before Fleur began speaking. When she did talk, her tone was quite heated. _"Open up! I had known him for approximately ten minutes, and I had told him my life story! It's just so confusing...I told him things only my family know... He was just so easy to talk to, and so understanding..."_

_"Fleur, don't worry about it. From what you've told me, and from what I've seen, Harry seems like a nice boy; I doubt that he is the type to divulge your secrets."_

Fleur shook her head. _"But that is not what I'm worried about! I am not the type who acts like a schoolgirl around a man. If you had seen me, Adrienne, you would have laughed. I was giggling. Giggling! And it felt natural...it felt good to just be there, with him..."_

Adrienne just looked at Fleur, who looked close to tears. She reached out to hug the girl close. Fleur stayed rigid in her arms, but eventually relaxed, sighing.

"_Listen, Fleur, there's nothing to worry about."_ Adrienne said. _"No, don't interrupt. In all the years I've known you, you have never even shown a passing interest in a man, in a romantic way. So I'm glad that you found this boy, and that you can be yourself around him. Because, quite frankly, there are not many people you actually talk too. Truthfully, besides me, how many friends do you have that go to Beauxbatons?"_

There was silence, and Adrienne took that as a confirmation. _"I know that you have a hard time from the other students. Since you're part Veela, it easy to understand why you don't have many friends. The girls are jealous of you, and the boys drool after you. But Harry isn't like that. While he does seem to get a bit idiotic around you, you get the same way around him. He's good for you, Fleur. You should not be scared of commitment."_

After Adrienne's speech, Fleur sat there, and let out a watery chuckle. "_You are right, of course. I'm just being silly..."_

"_No Fleur, you're not being silly. You're just being a girl, for the first time in your life_."

Adrienne just laughed as Fleur thumped her with a pillow.


	3. Veela

******A/N: Thanks for all the feedback, guys! It's always welcome, whether it be positive, negative, or anywhere in between.**

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of it's affiliates. Nor will I own Harry Potter in any chapters published preceding or succeding this one. I am not J.K Rowling, and I never will be. If I was, I'd make Chuck start airing on TV again.**

When Harry woke up the next day, he was in a very good mood. So good, in fact, that as he was getting ready to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast, he whistled as loudly as possible, waking up Ron, who was the only other Gryffindor still asleep in the dorm.

"Just a few more minutes, mum..." Ron mumbled into his pillow.

Harry practically skipped over to Ron's bed before roughly shaking him awake.

"Rise and shine, Ron!"

The red headed boy grumbled and moaned all the while, but he too began to get ready for the day. When he was finished, the two headed down into the Common Room, where Hermione was waiting for them.

"Good morning, Hermione!" Harry said to the girl as the trio exited through the portrait. Hermione looked over at Ron, who just shrugged and mouthed, _Don't ask me_, to her.

As they reached the Great Hall and sat down, Harry looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Fleur. The search was in vain, as he couldn't find her at all in the room. Visibly saddened, Harry turned to his plate and piled it high with food. Again, Hermione and Ron made eye contact, but didn't say anything as they too began to eat.

After they were done, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed to their first class of the day, Herbology, Harry still rather subdued. As they took their seats in one of the several greenhouses that Hogwarts had, more students began trickling in, until the place was full. As Professor Sprout waxed on and on about the various benefits of some other undoubtedly dangerous plant, Harry let his mind wander. Was he wrong that he had thought that Fleur and he were now friends? But then again, he had never asked her to eat breakfast with him... For all he knew, the Beauxbatons students could have eaten in their carriage. And besides, he had no real claim on her. Now feeling appropriately silly, Harry turned to Hermione and Ron, who seemed to be having a silent conversation, presumably about him, as they were gesturing to him with their hands somewhat frequently. He sighed. He _had_ been acting rather strange at breakfast.

"So, shall we get started?" Harry said, plastering a smile on his face. He gestured to the plants that Sprout had set up along the windows. Apparently they had to de-leave the plants, which did seem difficult, as the branches of the vegetation were swinging about wildly, and they were covered in thorns. Ron looked to Hermione for confirmation, who nodded back to him. This time, Harry did not have to fake a smile. They were acting as if he was going to go crazy at any moment.

The trio worked mostly in silence. Harry was quiet because he did not feel the need to talk. The other two were silent because they were afraid that Harry would spontaneously start crying.

When the class was over, Harry, with a quick goodbye to his friends, headed up to Gryffindor tower. Lunch would not be for another couple hours, and he wanted to relax in front of the fireplace a bit.

As Harry rounded a corner, a certain knight riding a fat pony in a painting hailed him. Walking faster, and keeping his head down, Harry tried to get away, but the knight continued to pursue him.

"Come back you knave, and fight like a real man of honor!" Sir Cadogan roared. Harry decided to ignore this and continued speed walking. Just one more right turn and he'd reach the Fat Lady-

Harry crashed into a person who had rounded the corner at the same time he had. They both toppled over, with Harry ending up on top. He placed both hands on the ground beside the person he fell on, to not crush them under his body weight. As the two got acclimated, Harry eventually recognized the girl he had fallen on.

"Oh, you're Fleur's friend...um… Adrienne, was it?" He asked.

"Oui. Fleur 'as told me a lot about you." The girl said, grinning up at him. "My goodness though, I would never 'ave imagined that ze Boy Who Lived could be zo forward with the ladies."

Realizing that he was still on top of her, in a rather compromising position, Harry hastily leapt away, blushing and stammering out several apologies. Adrienne just laughed as she picked herself up, brushing dirt off her robes in the process. "You are exactly as I pictured you."

"And is that a good thing?" Harry tentatively prompted.

The girl just looked amused. "Oui. I can understand what Fleur sees in you."

Harry decided to ignore the meaning of that sentence, as it would bring him nothing but headaches. "So, where is Fleur?" He queried.

Adrienne shrugged. "She told me she was going to ze library earlier, to return some books she 'ad borrowed. I was on my way to find 'er right before you attacked me." Here, Harry hastily apologized again. "Would you like to 'elp me find 'er?"

Harry eagerly agreed, and the two set off towards the library. There was a momentary pause as they passed a group of students, and then Adrienne looked at Harry quite seriously. "Monsieur Potter, what are your intentions with Fleur?"

Harry gaped at her, and Adrienne couldn't help but chortle and reach to pinch one of his cheeks. "You are much, much too easy, Monsieur Potter."

When the two reached the library, they looked in every corner, but still could not find a glimpse of Fleur. After Madame Pince started getting irritated at them for just wandering around, the pair left, still with no idea where Fleur could be.

"We could go check ze carriage." Adrienne suggested. Harry had no better alternative and gestured for her to lead on.

As two walked together, they exchanged small talk and random tidbits of their life. Adrienne was very easy to talk to, once Harry got used to several double meanings she used in an attempt to make him uncomfortable. Still, by the time they reached the Beauxbatons carriage, Harry's face was only a slight pink. He was rather proud of himself for the fact.

Harry waited outside as Adrienne went into the carriage to look for Fleur. About ten minutes later, she actually did come out with the girl, who was grumbling the entire time. Apparently, Fleur had never really gone to the library, and only told Adrienne that so she could sleep more. Both girls were jabbering in rapid French as they exited the carriage, both looking rather grouchy.

When Fleur saw Harry, however, her face immediately brightened. "'Arry!" She said, as she rushed to give him a hug. Harry shifted uncomfortably as she did this. Not that he didn't like it... No, he liked it a little bit too much. But Fleur was holding on to him a lot longer than society dictates a hug between friends should last. Apparently , Adrienne thought so too, and she coughed rather obviously and loudly, leading to Fleur letting go of him reluctantly, slightly red.

"Fleur, I'm jealous. You never greet me like that in ze mornings." Adrienne said. Fleur just grumbled and walked ahead of two, leading to a bark of laughter from the brunette and a grimace from Harry.

"So, shall we head to lunch ?" Harry asked, noticing that it was almost noon. Both Fleur and Adrienne nodded, and the three reached the Great Hall, which only had a few students opting to get an early meal.

As Harry made a beeline towards the Gryffindor table, Adrienne stalled Fleur by pulling on the back of her robes. She said in a low voice to Fleur, _"So I assume by that overly enthusiastic hug earlier that you have taken my words yesterday to heart?"__  
_  
Fleur just nodded, her brow furrowing. _"I realize there is not much I can do to stop this attraction I have to Harry. I'll just let all this play out, and see where takes me."__  
_  
Adrienne smirked, as the two began walking towards Harry, who had already sat down and was placing food on his plate. _"Good, because if you weren't going to grab him, I would have."_ She looked over to the green eyed boy. _"He is rather adorable when he blushes." _Fleur just smiled and nodded, looking fondly at him.

The two French girls sat down and began to dig in, and the three slipped into an easy camaraderie. Fleur and Adrienne made it into a game to see who could make Harry the reddest, and he gallantly persevered through the abuse. Just as Adrienne started to demonstrate how to eat a roll in a very inappropriate way, Harry saw Ron and Hermione walk in. Desperate to get a respite from the girls teasing, he stood up and gestured for his friends to sit down, trying to ignore their Fleur's and Adrienne's snickering.

On the other side of the room, Ron and Hermione saw Harry waving over to them. They could also see two girls, in Beauxbatons robes, laughing also. Ron just shook his head and grinned. "Harry, you lucky dog."

As they walked over to the Gryffindor table, Hermione could see how Ron was slowly but surely getting glassy eyed. When they sat down, the freckled boy looked almost completely out of it, and as Hermione looked around, she could see how many other males at the table seemed to look rather vacant, and they were all looking in the direction of the blonde French girl. The only people who didn't seem affected were Harry and most girls, but even some of them were eying the French girl. If Hermione didn't know better, there was something more at play here...

Harry, oblivious to his friend's reactions to the Fleur, turned to introduce them. "Ron, Hermione, this is Fleur and Adrienne." Hermione gave both the French girls a smile and a small wave, while Ron continued to stare unabashed at Fleur.

"Um... Ron, are you okay?" Harry said.

Fleur, who had been expecting this reaction, just shook her sadly. "Do not worry, Harry. This is my fault."

Harry just looked at Fleur in confusion. "You're fault? How is this your fault? You haven't even moved..." Harry then turned back to Ron and waved his hand in front of his face a few times, trying to get the boy's attention. "Hey, Ron. Ron!"

Hermione smacked Ron across the head, and the boy snapped out of it, looking around wildly. Harry looked at him in concern.

"Wuzgoingon?" Ron said blearily. Hermione began to study Fleur, as if she was some type of insect. A few moments of awkward silence later, and she snapped her fingers, a smile on her lips. "You're a veela!"

"Yes." Fleur said coolly. Hermione's smile faltered a bit. Ron, still feeling groggy, and not fully understanding the new tense atmosphere surrounding the group, piped up.

"Wait, if she's a veela, why is she allowed in school?" Harry and Adrienne turned a scathing look onto Ron, and the red haired boy looked a bit shocked at the reception he was receiving. He turned to Hermione. "You know what I'm talking about, right Hermione? There are horror stories about what a veela can do if it gets angry, and from what I've heard, they're pretty volatile..."

Eyes flashing, Fleur stood up to leave, Adrienne rising as well. Both shot Ron intense glares. "I will see you later, Harry." The blonde said. With a quick nod towards Hermione, she strode quickly out of the Great Hall, her friend closely trailing behind her. Harry did not see the deeply troubled look on her face as she left.

With Fleur gone, Ron slowly realized that he might have done something wrong.

He turned to Harry, who was glaring at him. "What," he spat out, "in the hell was that?"

Ron, alarmed at the animosity coming from Harry, said, "Well, veela are dangerous, aren't they? I mean, that's-" Harry cut him off, not interested in the rest of what the red haired boy was going to say. He turned to Hermione for confirmation.

Hermione, with a frown on her face, said, "It is rather obvious what she is, Harry."

Harry frowned and shook his head. "So what if she's a veela? What, like the bird ladies at the World Cup? I don't know if you've noticed, Hermione, but Fleur doesn't have a beak, or feathers."

"Well, she's obviously not a full blown veela, because if she was, I think the boys here would be a lot more enthusiastic to gain her affections, wouldn't they? Remember the referee at the match? He wasn't even watching the game, he was just flexing and winking at the veela. And remember Stan Shunpike? He tried to convince some of them that he was going to be the next Prime Minister. But still, she's probably at least half veela. Most of the men here seem to find it rather difficult to stop ogling her."

Harry frowned as he thought about these details. Now that he thought about it, when he, Fleur, and Adrienne had been walking together, there had been a lot of people who stared at them, but he chalked it up to being because he, the Boy who Lived, was walking with two Beauxbatons girls. He knew how people liked to gossip. But now he realized that they weren't staring, at him, but at her...  
Harry stood up and walked away, ignoring Hermione's, "Harry, where are you going?" As he exited the Great Hall, he debated inwardly where Fleur might have gone. The carriage?

As he headed outside, Harry thought about what Ron had said. Even if what he had said was true, Harry couldn't see how Fleur could actually hurt anybody. She was just too sweet of a girl for that.

As Harry approached the carriage, he saw Adrienne standing in front of the door, just lounging. "Is Fleur in there?" He asked as a greeting.

"Non, we walked together 'ere, but she just kept on going zat way." Adrienne pointed. Harry nodded, and turned to head in that direction, when the French girl called him back. "'Arry, you know zat ze veela are prejudiced against back in France, yes?" When he shook his head no, she continued. "The best zing I can compare it to is ze werewolves you Britons have 'ere in England. While zey cannot control being a werewolf, zey would still find it difficult to find a job, or find people who can look past their affliction, non?" Harry nodded. "Ze same situation can be applicable to Fleur, and all other veela as an extension. People do not trust them, and Fleur 'as dealt with zis prejudice her entire life. She 'as kept a brave face on the entire time I 'ave known her, but really, she needs more friends than just I." Here, Adrienne smiled warmly at Harry. It was a disconcerting change from the norm, as she usually had a mischievous smirk on her face. "And that I is why I zink you are good for her, 'Arry. She tends to shy away from other men, because the odds of finding one that does not drool over 'er is slim. But you do not, and you can talk to her, and comfort her, in ways I can't. So go and find her. She is feeling pretty low at the moment."

Harry just looked at Adrienne, and thought that Fleur was very lucky to have a friend like her. He leaned in to give her a hug, which she reacted to with surprise, before chuckling and patting him on the back. "My, my, Harry. What would Fleur zink?"

Harry blushed and leaned back, not giving that a response. He just let go and said, "Fleur's a very fortunate girl to have a friend like you." At this, it was Adrienne who blushed, and Harry walked away before she could respond.

Harry walked in the general direction that Adrienne had pointed in. As he did so, he kept an eye out for Fleur. Fifteen minutes later, however, he had reached the Forbidden Forest, with no veela in sight. He sighed and turned around, intent on calling this trip a bust and heading back to castle. As he began heading back, a tentative voice called out, "'Arry?"

Harry spun around, his wand instantly drawn, pointing in the general direction of the voice. As he watched, Fleur came walking out of the Forbidden Forest, quite nonchalantly. "Fleur...?" He said uncertainly, slightly lowering his wand.

The girl looked confused. "What is wrong? Do I not look like myself?" She picked at her robes, which had a few scattered leaves on it. She brushed them off before looking back at Harry expectantly.

"Were you just in the Forest?" He asked, rather weakly.

Fleur looked at Harry strangely. "Oui. Is that not obvious?" There was a pause, before Harry began speaking, rather heatedly.

"Don't you know how dangerous that is? It's called the Forbidden Forest for a reason, Fleur! You could have been hurt, or maimed, or injured or something! Think about all the dangerous animals in there! You're not Hagrid, you can't just go strolling in there, and not expect to get mauled! Do you know, in my second year, Ron and I went in there, and we were attacked by giant spiders, and-"

A soft, melodious laugh stopped Harry from continuing his rant. He looked at Fleur incredulously. Did she not understand how dangerous it was? Opening his mouth to continue reprimanding, her, he was again interrupted.

"You are cute when you are worried."

And Harry's retort died in his mouth as he blushed furiously. Seriously, what was with these French girls that they could make him blush so easily?

Fleur continued talking as if she did not notice know red Harry was, but judging by the slight smirk on her face, it was all too obvious that she saw. "But your concern is not needed, "Arry. My… unique characteristics tend to make animals shy away from me." Harry just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The two stood there, on the edge of the forest, just looking at each other, before Fleur gestured for Harry to begin walking back to the castle with her.

As they headed back, Harry took quick glances at Fleur at random intervals. The girl did seem relaxed, but there was a slight look in her eyes that told him that not all was well with her. The silence between them grew, and grew, until Harry began to open his mouth to say something inane, just to break the quiet, but Fleur beat him to the punch.

"So." She said.

"So."

"You do know what I am?"

"Er…yes?"

"So why are you here right now?"

At this, Harry stopped and looked at Fleur confusedly. She turned back and looked at him as well, confusion, along with a bit of apprehension, clearly written across her face.

"Do you not want me to be here?" Harry asked hesitatingly. Fleur looked shocked at the question.

"Of course I would like for you to be here! But you know I am a veela! Should you not be trying to avoid me?"

Understanding reached Harry's mind. Fleur was worried that he did not want to be friends with her anymore. He laughed at the thought. He couldn't stop even if he tried.

"You being a veela doesn't really bother me in the slightest, Fleur. Why should it? I mean, you seem perfectly nice to me, so why shouldn't we continue be friends?"

Fleur just smiled at Harry, took a hold of his hand, and began skipping along back to the school, dragging a grinning green haired boy along with her. He didn't know it, but his words had just brightened her day, and almost made seventeen years of goggling and drooling from boys worth it, to be here him, today.

As the two reached the entrance to the castle, a thought occurred to Fleur that made her look at Harry in concern. ""Arry, I know why I am not in class today, because Madame Maxine gave us the day off to acclimate to our new environment, but why are you not in school? Did you not have classes today also?"

With an extremely loud curse, Harry tore away from Fleur, sprinting towards the castle. Later that day, when Harry again saw Fleur, he informed her that Professor McGonagall had given him two detentions for missing a class and not having a proper excuse.

Fleur, along with Adrienne, who was there, laughed long and loudly.


	4. The Triwizard Champions

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of it's affiliates. Nor will I own Harry Potter in any chapters published preceding or succeding this one. I am not J.K Rowling, and I never will be. If I was, I'd use all that money to buy myself a lifetime's supply gel-ink pens. God damn, those things write smooth.**

The next morning, After much poking and prodding, a slightly annoyed Harry marched both Ron and Hermione down to the Gryffindor table, where the two French girls were already sitting. Seeing them, Hermione blanched, and abruptly slowed, but Harry continued to funnel her towards the table. Ron attempted to bolt for the entrance, but Harry grabbed him too. He plopped both of them down at the bench and glared at them. "Well?"

The two looked properly chastened as they turned to look at Fleur and Adrienne, who looked slightly amused. Both lowering their heads, they said simultaneously, "We're sorry."

Harry frowned at them. "For what?"

Hermione shot him a dirty look before intoning with Ron, "For being rude."

Harry smirked in satisfaction. He glanced at Fleur, who was nodding politely at them. Adrienne was eating again, having lost interest in the conversation halfway through. Ron and Hermione continued to sit, looking uncomfortable. Harry grinned and began piling his plate.

* * *

Harry sighed in contentment as he patted his belly. Fleur giggled as she threw a slice of toast at him. He gave a cry of mock outcry, and threw one back. The two went back and forth, throwing increasingly larger items of food at each other, all the while laughing like children. Adrienne just sighed as they did so, instead opting to open up a copy of The Daily Prophet. She glanced at Ron and Hermione, who were busy gaping at the scene.

"You get used to it after a while." She said wisely to them. "Ze are too busy flirting to actually realize ze are flirting." She flipped a page of the newspaper. "It is actually kind of sickening how cute ze are."

"So are they... You know... A thing?" Hermione asked hesitatingly. Adrienne lowered her newspaper so she could stare at Hermione.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

"What? Oh, no reason... I'd just like to know, is all."

"My, my, Hermione. You would not happen to have a crush on our dear 'Arry, would you?"

Ron, who had been taking a sip of his juice, began choking. Harry, distracted, slapped him on the back a few times before returning his attention back to Fleur.

"What! No, that's not what I meant... I mean, Harry's not an unattractive... Wait, no! No, I don't have any feelings for Harry... He's like a brother to me!"

Adrienne grinned wickedly. "Whatever you say, 'Ermione." She stood up. Harry and Fleur broke away from their conversation to look at her quizzically. She gestured towards the entrance. They nodded, and after Harry bid Hermione and Ron a quick goodbye they left, leaving the other two behind.

"So, shall we go to class then?" Hermione asked Ron tentatively. He merely grunted an affirmative and stood up to leave. Hermione sighed in exasperation before following.

The following few weeks were some of the best of Harry's life. He spent most of his time with Fleur, with Adrienne sometimes joining them. Harry reveled in the fact that he act as Fleur's tour guide, showing her some of the more interesting spots of Hogwarts. He had even shown her The Marauders Map, which she had exclaimed over. She had insisted on spending half an hour just poring over the thing, occasionally saying how this was such an exemplary example of magic. It was amusing to see how she had tried to figure how the enchantment on it worked.

"But how? Did ze makers cast a Hominem Revelio spell on ze castle? ... Zat does make some sense... But how did ze make it track every student around the school? Wait, what if..."

And that had continued on for a while, before Fleur had thrown aside the map in a huff, crossing her arms. "This is impossible!" She looked up to see a grinning Harry, and unconsciously smiled back at him. The two had happily spent the rest of the day together, aimlessly walking around and talking.

And they did a lot of that. It sometimes surprised Harry how easily it was to hold a conversation with Fleur. Before, the only girl he actively talked to was Hermione, and that usually consisted of Her reprimanding him for not doing his homework. But with Fleur, he talked about anything and everything. Their chats ranged from the differences between Beauxbatons and Hogwarts, the pros and cons of British food, and the controversial topic of house elves. It amazed Harry how similar their viewpoints were.

But still, there were some things that bothered Harry. And that was Ron and Hermione. Even though he had sort of patched up the relationship between his friends, there was still a frosty air between them. Whenever he brought the group together, it usually consisted of awkward silences.

But besides the tension, Harry was having fun. And a lot of that was due to a certain blonde French witch.

* * *

The excitement in the air on Halloween was palpable. There was an incessant buzzing in the Great Hall; it seemed no one could remain silent. Besides him, Fleur was slowly growing pale. He looked at her in concern.

"What are you so nervous about?" He asked her. She turned to him, and he realized that she couldn't seem to keep still. Under the table, her feet was tapping incessantly, the sound lost underneath the general din around them.

Fleur leaned in close so he could hear her. "What if I do not get picked?!" She whispered in a panic. "All zis, for nothing!"

Harry took her hand and squeezed it reassuredly. There wasn't really anything he could say to that, but Fleur seemed to appreciate the gesture, as she visibly relaxed.

Every student immediately stopped talking as Dumbledore stood up. He gestured to the Goblet, which was residing in front of the professors' dining table. The flames seemed to be growing ever brighter, soon becoming almost painful to look at.

"I do believe that it is almost ready to choose our champions." The old man said. He waved his wand once, in a wide, sweeping motion, and all the candles blew out, making the only visible light in the room the Goblet. Everyone waited, eyes fixated on the up, waiting for the first selection.

And they did not have to wait long. Only moments later, the Goblet began to shake on the table it was on. It's flames turned red, and sparks were emitted, causing some students who were close to it cry out in shock. The flames rose up, extending a couple more feet, and a tendril of the fire extended. A burnt piece of parchment flew out of it, and Dumbledore, with surprising dexterity, caught it between his long fingers. Behind him, the flames of the Goblet reverted back to its whitish blue color.

Dumbledore read from the paper in a clear, loud voice. "And the first champion is..." There was a pause as all students leaned in expectantly. "Victor Krum, from Durmstrang!"

There was a loud roar from the Slytherin table where the Durmstrang students were situated. They began banging their fists on the table, creating a loud, reverberating thud throughout the hall. They collectively added their voices together, and shouted, "KRUM! KRUM! KRUM!" Krum stood up and acknowledged the applause, before heading through a door to the right of the staff table.

Dumbledore raised a hand, and silence fell throughout again. Focus was returned to the Goblet, which was once again changing colors to red. Another tongue of fire... A charred piece of paper... Dumbledore once again caught it-

"And the champion for Beuaxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"

Harry clapped madly along with the rest, a grin almost as big as Fleur's on his face. She stood up and began walking towards the champions' room, but turned back as if she had forgotten something. She quickly walked back to Harry, who looked puzzled, and gathered him up in her arms and squeezed him as hard she could. A moment later, she let go, a radiant look adorning her features, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before rushing past Dumbledore and the other teachers.

Harry, his face very red, turned to the other people at the table, who were eying him with various emotions. He ducked his head, trying to get away from their attention, but Adrienne, who was sitting next to him, began cackling madly.

Harry groaned, and held his head in his hands. He almost missed the Dumbledore announcing the next champion. "-of Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory!"

Cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table, and Cedric just smiled good-naturedly as he rose to join the other champions.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together and beamed at the rest of the students. "So! We have our three contestants! I hope you will give your entire support to your respective school's champion. You know, that does play a big role on how well-"

But nobody was listening. All attention was on the Goblet, which was once again a burning red. Another long flame shot out, and another piece of parchment followed. Dumbledore grabbed it, seemingly without thinking, and stared at the name in his hand for a long while. There was complete silence in the hall.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and read -

"Harry Potter."

* * *

**A/N: Damn, it's been a hella long time since I've updated. (Sorry about that 'hella', I've been bumping Macklemore so much that I now talk like him. Cold ass honky. Oh, no, somebody stop me!) School and work keep on finding ways for me to keep busy. But never fear, new chapters are being produced as we speak! And as always, reviews are appreciated.**


	5. Listen

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of its affiliates. Nor will I own Harry Potter in any chapters published preceding or succeeding this one. I am not J.K Rowling, and I never will be. If I was, I would buy enough AlmondJoys to build a house out of.**

* * *

Utter silence. No sounds were being made, save for the quiet breathing of many students.

It was deafening.

Harry couldn't bring himself to react. He knew he should do something, should stand up and tell everybody that he didn't enter, but he couldn't. His legs were dead, and his throat was tight, suffocating him. So he just sat there, mind not thinking, not comprehending what was happening.

At the staff table, every single professor was looking at him. There were varying emotions among them, from suspicion to shock to pity. The only one standing was Dumbledore, and that's who Harry looked at, hoping the man could help him, get him out of this nightmare.

But just from looking at Dumbledore's face, Harry knew there was no help coming. The customary twinkle in the man's eye wasn't present. There was just a blank mask, nothing of the usual kindness that was associated with him.

"Harry Potter!" The name rang throughout the hall again, and piercing blue eyes met green. Harry stood up, and tried to ignore the glares, the accusing looks. Beside him, Adrienne gave his hand a quick squeeze, subtly shown her support for him.

Ah, yes. His friends. Ron and Hermione. How would they react? They would know that he did not enter, right? Harry tried to find them, but his eyes seemed to be having a hard time focusing. All he saw was a sea of faces.

Harry began trudging up, towards the staff table, feeling like a condemned man. Silence still permeated everything. Only once he had entered through the door the other champions had gone through did the whispering start.

Once he was in the room, his mind registered that Fleur was sitting in a corner by herself. The other two champions, Krum and Cedric, were lounging on two armchairs, quietly chatting. When the French witch saw him, she immediately stood up. "What's wrong?"

Harry still couldn't find it in himself to open his mouth. He feared that the minute he did so, he'd lose the contents of his stomach.

Krum also stood up, but was apparently following a different train of thought. "What is it? Do they want us back in the hall?"

Ah. Harry thought distractedly. Krum thinks I'm here to deliver a message. Harry was finding it difficult to make any noise, to tell Krum and Fleur what was happening, but his throat seemed to be constricting him.

"'Arry, you look like you are about zo' fall over. Here, sit." Fleur ushered him into a chair, which Harry collapsed into, sinking into it exhaustedly. Fleur gripped his hand hard, and stared into his eyes, looking hard. "Please, 'Arry, tell me what is wrong. What 'appened?"

Fleur looked at him in concern, and seated him down in a chair, all the while rubbing his back. Harry tried to smile at her, to reassure her, but it ended up more of a grimace. This just alarmed Fleur even more.

The door slammed open, and a rather ecstatic looking Ludo Bagman barged in, grinning in delight.

"This is extraordinary! Never before, in the history of the tournament..." The man strode to Harry, grasping his arm, before turning to the other three. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present... The fourth Triwizard champion?"

The looks on the champions faces might have made him laugh if Harry had not been so out of it. Cedric looked confused, his face scrunching up. Krum looked gruffer than usual, his eyebrows coming together to create a hard line. And Fleur looked nothing but horrified.

"That is not a funny joke, Mr. Bagman." Krum said, eyeing the enthusiastic Ministry official with distaste. Bagman, bewildered, shook his head.

"What? Oh, no, Mr. Krum, there has been no mistake. Mr. Potter's name just up and popped out of the Goblet!" The man grinned. "This is a once in a lifetime occurrence!"

Fleur cut in, sounding slightly panicked. "But 'e cannot compete, 'e is too young! Zere is a reason that zere is an age requirement! What if something happens to him?" She broke off, and began babbling in French, clearly panicking. Harry regained some semblance of control of his muscles and gripped her hand. She quieted, but still looked a little distraught.

Bagman seemed surprised at the less than enthusiastic reaction that his news received. His smile dimmed a bit, but he said jovially, "Well, the age restriction was only added this year, you know, for extra safety precautions... I dare say that it didn't actually work." The man laughed at his own joke. No one else did. "But in any regard, I do not think that there will be any issue…"

"It would not be an issue? 'Ow could it not be an issue? 'E is not yet seventeen, Monsieur Bagman!"

Bagman swallowed nervously. "You're right, of course... but either way, there really is no choice, you know...Magically binding contract, , so unless Mr. Potter here would like to suffer the consequences of breaking said contract, there really is nothing to do…"

The door opened again, and Dumbledore smoothly walked in, followed by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxine, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Moody rounding off the group, his magical eye whizzing around, categorizing everything. Eventually, the eye settled on Harry, its gaze unwavering. They all gathered around the champions, but their attention was focused on Harry.

Beside him, Fleur stood, still clutching his hand, and said to her headmaster, "Madame Maxine! Zey are saying that 'Arry must compete!"

The giant lady turned to Dumbledore, accusation clearly in her eyes. "Oui, what is ze meaning of zis, Dumblydore?"

Karkaroff chimed in, a fake smile plastered on his face. "I'd actually like to know that myself." His blue eyes were like ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I didn't know that the host school was allowed more than one champion... Maybe I just didn't read the rules carefully enough!" He gave a short, nasty laugh.

Madame Maxine nodded. "It is most unfair. Hogwarts cannot have two champions, while the other schools go without."

Karkaroff turned to Dumbledore, still smiling. "I was under the impression that you had taken precautions to stop just this sort of thing from happening, headmaster. An age line, correct? Should I have brought in a larger selection of students?"

Snape, who had been residing in the shadows, spoke up, his dark, glittering eyes now focused on Harry. "This is undoubtedly Potter fault, Karkaroff. Do not blame Dumbledore for the boy's penchant for breaking the rules. He has been crossing the line for as long-"

Dumbledore raised a hand. "That is enough, Severus." Snape fell silent, shrinking back into the shadows. The old man gazed at Harry over his half moon spectacles, and Harry got the distinct feeling that Dumbledore could read his mind.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet, Harry?" Dumbledore asked gently, but firmly.

"No." Harry said tightly. He spared a glance over to Fleur, who still had his hand in her grasp. She squeezed, once, and nodded to him, and Harry turned back to Dumbledore, feeling slightly better.

"Did you convince anybody else to put your name in the Goblet instead?"

"No." Said Harry vehemently.

Karkaroff scoffed. "But of course he's lying! Don't let the boy fool you, Dumbledore." He eyed Harry distastefully.

McGonagall, who had been observing the scene, spoke up for the first time. "There is no way Mr. Potter could have passed the age line."

The Durmstrang headmaster shrugged. "Your old man probably messed it up." Karkaroff then idly added, "No offense, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore smiled politely. "It is possible, of course."

"Albus, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" said Professor McGonagall angrily.  
"It's obvious that Potter didn't enter himself, and as Albus doesn't believe that he didn't convince anybody else to enter for him, that should be good enough for everyone!" She glared at Karkaroff.

Karkaroff ignored her tirade. "Mr. Bagman, Mr. Crouch. You understand that this is highly irregular, yes? Can you not do something about this?"

Bagman cleared his throat nervously. "Well, you see, I was telling the kids earlier. Once your names emitted from the Goblet, you're obligated to complete. Magically binding contract, and all that."

None of the fake geniality was remaining on Karkaroff's face. He now wore an ugly grimace. "Then I demand that I resubmit the rest my students into the Goblet until I get a second champion. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

"But it doesn't work that way, Igor." Bagman said. "The Goblet's gone out, and it'll only ignite again once the next tournament starts."

"Which you should not expect Durmstrang to attend!" Karkaroff exploded. "After all this talk of reopening the Triwizard Tournament, you people would pull something like this?" He glared at everyone in the room. "I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty t

"Whatever complaints that you may have, there is nothing I, or anyone else can do." Said Dumbledore, speaking to the room at large. "We have no choice to accept that Harry will be joining Cedric as a Hogwarts champion."

"But Dumblydore-"

"My dear Madame, if you have a better alternative, I would be very interested in hearing it."

There was a pause, but Madame Maxine did not speak further, instead presenting Dumbledore with a glare.

Bagman, who seemed rather excited, clapped his hands together. "Well, then, shall we get this underway? Barty, want to tell them their instructions for the first task?"

Crouch cleared his throat and spoke in his deep, monotonous voice. "Ah, yes. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth. You all are not permitted to seek assistance from any professors, and..."

He continued talking about the rules, but Harry zoned him out. After the initial shock had worn away, he was now hyper aware of how warm Fleur's hand was in his. He fidgeted nervously.

"Now, are there any questions?" Crouch glanced around the room, and when nobody responded, he nodded and stood up.

"Are you sure you would not like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?" Dumbledore asked, looking at the man.

"No, thank you, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry. It has been a ridiculously busy time there, and I don't have the time to be idle…" And with that, Crouch left the room, giving a terse nod to everybody else.

"Well, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxine, would you like to join me for a nightcap?" said Dumbledore.

Karkaroff just gave Dumbledore a look of disgust before striding out of the room, Krum trailing close behind him.

Madame Maxine stood also, and she said coldly but politely,"Zank you, but no. I am sure Fleur is exhausted, and is looking forward to getting back to ze carriage."

Fleur bit her lip, before asking her headmaster, "If you do not mind, Madame, if I speak with 'Arry for a few moments before leaving?"

Maxine looked at Fleur for a moment, and then turned her critical gaze to Harry. He fidgeted in his seat, trying not to break eye contact with her. Eventually reaching to some hidden conclusion, Madame Maxine nodded. "Very well. I will meet you back at ze carriage, Fleur."

And with that, she left, having to stoop a bit to get though the door. Dumbledore followed. "Cedric, I think it would be a good idea for you to return to your dormitories."

Cedric looked a little startled to be addressed, but he obediently left, but not without giving a puzzled glance at Harry and Fleur behind him.

The room was now completely empty, besides the two. They sat next to each other, neither speaking. It wasn't an awkward silence, but Harry was uncomfortable nonetheless. What did Fleur want to speak to him about? Was she angry? Sad?

"Um… Fleur?" he said tentatively.

She turned towards him, and Harry was horrified to see that she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, no, Fleur, don't cry…" The words didn't seem to have an effect, and now the tears were flowing freely down her face, leaving streaks. Without warning, she flung herself at him, and he caught her, albeit awkwardly. She sobbed into his chest, and Harry stiffly patted her on the back, at a loss on what to say.

"Er… are you okay?" He asked. Immediately, he grimaced inwardly.

But Fleur seemed to think it was funny, as she gave a watery chuckle. And thankfully, she stopped crying; only giving an occasional sniffle here or there. There was a pause.

"Oh, 'Arry, why did it 'ave to be you?" Fleur said. The sound was muffled as she still had her face buried into Harry's chest.

"Just the luck of the draw, I guess." Harry replied. But the more Harry thought about it, the more it concerned him. Why him, indeed? This couldn't be just some random coincidence…

"'Arry?"

With a start, Harry realized that Fleur had been calling his name.

"Oh, um… yeah?"

Fleur giggled a bit, but it there didn't seem to be much mirth in the action.

"Can you promise me one zing?" she said.

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll be safe."

"Fleur…"

"Do it!"

Harry hesitated, but acquiesced.

"All right, Fleur, I promise… But only if you promise me that you'll be safe too."'

Fleur smiled, and she got off of Harry to shake his hand. "It is a deal."

Harry stood up as well, and the two left the room together. The Great Hall was completely empty as they walked through it. As they reached the entrance, Fleur bid Harry goodbye with a quick hug, and went on her way. Harry paused a bit, watching her leave, before slowly trudging his way too his room.

As Harry walked to the Gryffindor Common Room, there was a feeling of tension in him that was making it hard to focus. When he reached the Fat Lady, she gave him a roguish grin.

"Our very own champion!" She crowed proudly.

Harry gave her a noncommittal grunt in response before giving the password and walking through the entrance. He was momentarily deafened as screaming erupted around him. It seemed that after the feast, everybody in Gryffindor had stayed awake to catch a glimpse of him.

Fred and George Weasly were the first to greet him through the entrance, both sporting identical giant grins. "Merlin, Harry, we didn't think you had it in you!" George said, as he and his twin began pushing Harry along into the center of the mass.

"Well, yes, we thought you were more of the timid type, but this is a pleasant surprise," Fred nodded. "Didn't really think that you had the creative chops to pull this type of thing off, but we," He pointed to himself and George, "are both very proud." They eventually came to a stop, and the twins pushed Harry on top of the stairs leading to the dormitories. "But Harry, we're all dying to know… How'd you do it?"

At this, the rest of the Gryffindor students, who had formed a giant mob around him, ceased their excited chattering in favor of rapt attention.

Harry could see everyone in the room at his position, and they were all staring at him, awaiting his answer eagerly. He swallowed nervously.

"I didn't enter."

Fred held a cupped hand to his ear, saying, "Eh? Sorry, Harry, you're going to have to speak up."

And so louder, Harry said, "I didn't enter!"

There was a pause, before everybody started chuckling, which then developed into full blown laughter. Harry just watched on, aghast. The twins came up, and both placed a hand over Harry's shoulder. "Ever the modest one, eh, Harry?" Fred said, grinning.

"What? No, I mean it, I didn't-"

George laughed aloud, saying, "Come on, Harry, let's put some food in you. What kind of party hosts would we be if we left you starving, right?"

The two didn't leave Harry any time to agree or disagree, as they began guiding him through the Common Room. Harry was incapable of escaping, as both twins had death grips on him.

And that was how the night was spent. Being shuffled around, everyone wanting a moment with their champion. Nobody heeded his weak exclamations of innocence, instead piling upon him butterbeers and pastries, all basking in the glow of having their own Triwizard Champion.

Throughout it all, Harry continually kept an eye out for Ron and Hermione, as they were really the only people he wanted to talk to. Instead, he was passed around like some sort of knick knack, until he eventually couldn't handle it anymore, bellowing, "ENOUGH! No, Colin, you can't take any more pictures of me… I'm really tired, so I'm heading to bed, alright?"

And to Harry's great relief, he was reluctantly let go of, as the rest of the House continued on with their party. Harry stumbled up to his dormitory, thoroughly exhausted.

He was pleased to see that only Ron was in there, still fully dressed. He looked up when Harry slammed the door shut behind him.

"Where've you been?" Harry asked Ron, as he began getting ready for bed.

"Around."

There was something in Ron's tone that made Harry look up. Ron was wearing a rather strained smile that fit bizarrely on his face. Concerned, Harry asked, "Are you alright, Ron?"

"What? Oh, just peachy." He responded, his eyes averted from Harry's own. Looking up, Ron said, in a deceptively cheery voice, "So, Triwizard Champion! Congratulations!"

"Ron," Harry said slowly. "You know that I didn't enter myself in the tournament, right?"

"Sure, sure, Harry." said Ron.

"No, listen," said Harry, "I didn't put my name in that goblet. Someone else must've done it."

"You can tell me the truth, Harry. I get it, you didn't want anyone else to know, but I'm your mate, aren't I? So how'd you do it? How'd you get past the age line? The invisibility cloak?"

"I didn't enter, Ron!" said Harry, starting to get angry.

"Yeah, okay, Harry. Whatever you say," said Ron, in the same skeptical tone he had used earlier. "Just thought, seeming I'm your best mate and all, you'd tell me the truth, but that's fine." There was no fake grin on his face now. "You should get to bed, Harry. Wouldn't want to miss some photo shoot or something tomorrow."

And with that, Ron closed to curtains to his bed abruptly, leaving Harry alone, still in the middle of undressing.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sorry, guys, that this chapter took about two months to churn out. For some reason, this one was ridiculously frustrating to write, since I couldn't really find an adequate way to describe the situations happening.**

**Also, there's been a general consensus that people are against Harry having more than one love interest. Rest assured, my people, that is not going to happen. Romantic relationships that have more than two people are unrealistic, and more importantly, rather tacky.**

**Side note: I recently bought The Last of Us for PS3, and, damn, the feels. Recommended purchase for anyone who even enjoys video games in the slightest.**


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